Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kemba Walker Cleared To Practice

January 8th, 2021 at 6:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics star point guard Kemba Walker has been cleared to practice, the team’s PR department tweets.

Walker has been dealing with left knee soreness since the middle of last season, his first with Boston after signing a four-year max contract.

The team announced at the beginning of December as training camps were opening that Walker would not play until at least early January. After consulting several medical specialists in early October, the veteran guard received a stem cell injection in the knee and was put on a 12-week strengthening program.

According to coach Brad Stevens, Walker’s knee has been pain-free for over a month, he told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and other media members on Friday. However, his return is not imminent.

“Credit to Kemba for saying, ‘I’ve got to get this thing stronger, and I’ve got to make sure that it is ready to go through a season and then, if we’re fortunate, a postseason,'” Stevens said. “But he and (strength coach Jace Delaney) have done a nice job putting together a plan of attack, along with Phil Coles and then hopefully he’ll be back soon. But we’re not going to rush that. We’ll see how the practice goes and all that other stuff.”

The Celtics have replaced Walker at point guard with a combination of Jeff Teague, Marcus Smart and surprising rookie Payton Pritchard. Teague was available to play on Friday after missing two games with an ankle injury.

Robert Williams Tests Positive For COVID-19; Two Other Celtics Out For Contact Tracing

January 8th, 2021 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

Robert Williams has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), who hears from a source that the Celtics big man has been asymptomatic since testing positive.

Williams is the only Celtics player to have tested positive, per Himmelsbach, and will be required to quarantine until he returns multiple negative tests and is medically cleared. However, two other Boston big men will be required to self-isolate for the next week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams face a minimum quarantine period of seven days.

Carsen Edwards, who was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s game vs. Washington due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, won’t be required to quarantine for contact tracing purposes and will be available, Charania notes.

While Edwards’ availability will help a little, the Celtics will still find themselves extremely shorthanded in the frontcourt in the short term. The team figures to lean heavily on Daniel Theis and Semi Ojeleye, with two-way player Tacko Fall potentially entering the mix as well. Brad Stevens also figures to use more small-ball lineups, with wings like Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown playing the four.

Four Celtics Questionable Due To Health And Safety Protocols

January 7th, 2021 at 5:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Celtics players Grant Williams, Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson and Carsen Edwards have been listed as “questionable” for Boston’s bout against the Wizards tomorrow, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (via Twitter).

At present, the Celtics and the NBA have yet to provide further details on the nature of the players’ potential lack of availability.

Bontemps speculates that these four Celtics could be part of the league contact tracing program, in which case they would have been exposed to someone who later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Alternately, one or more of these players could also have recorded a positive or inconclusive coronavirus test result.

Thompson has thus far been the club’s starting power forward in an ultra-big front court alongside incumbent center Daniel Theis. Reserve center Robert Williams (16.4 MPG) and backup power forward Grant Williams (19.1 MPG) have represented integral parts of Boston’s big man rotation thus far. Head coach Brad Stevens may have to get creative with his roster, employing forward Jayson Tatum more at the power forward slot and leaning more on 6’6″ power forward Semi Ojeleye.

5’11” shooting guard Edwards has been a less-critical component of the Celtics’ backcourt rotation, averaging just 7.3 MPG in four of nine contests. That said, with starting point guard Kemba Walker still inactive, backup Jeff Teague day-to-day, and reserve wings Romeo Langford and Javonte Green also absent, the Celtics need all the bodies they can get.

Jaylen Brown Accepting Larger Role In The Offense

January 1st, 2021 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Jaylen Brown is ready to take on a larger role with the Celtics‘ offense after Gordon Hayward‘s departure in free agency, observes Tom Westerholm of Boston.com. “I’m definitely trying to accept the challenge, and I’m excited about this year in general for our group,” said Brown, who had a career-high 42 points Wednesday night. “I think we still have a great group. We have a lot to learn, I have a lot to learn but I think we are all embracing that challenge. Personally, for me, to be in a new and different role with more responsibility, I love and I want to handle that great responsibility to make sure I get other guys involved, all my teammates and try to be the best leader I can possibly be.”

Javonte Green Out Due To COVID-19 Protocols

December 31st, 2020 at 6:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Celtics have tweeted that second-year reserve shooting guard Javonte Green missed yesterday’s game against the Grizzlies due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe lists 21 intriguing items that Celtics fans can be on the lookout for in the new calendar year, including the on-court return of point guard Kemba Walker and potential trade deadline roster moves.

Latest On James Harden

December 31st, 2020 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest look at the James Harden situation, Brian Windhorst of ESPN lists the Sixers, Nets, Heat, Celtics, and Raptors among the teams that have at least placed “courtesy calls” to the Rockets about the former MVP.

And while the Bucks reportedly don’t have interest in pursuing Harden, they did have an internal conversation about the possibility and ran it by Giannis Antetokounmpo before coming to that decision, Windhorst notes.

The Harden trade talk that dominated NBA headlines during the preseason has died down to some extent now that the season is underway and the 31-year-old is suiting up for the Rockets, but Windhorst believes it’s just a matter of time before a team convinces itself that Harden is the missing piece for a championship and pulls the trigger on a deal, like Toronto did for Kawhi Leonard in 2018.

Here’s more on Harden:

Although the Nuggets have been linked to Harden directly, they’re also interested in potentially getting involved in a multi-team trade involving the star guard even if they don’t end up with him, according to Windhorst.
Sam Amick of The Athletic wonders if the loss of scoring depth caused by Spencer Dinwiddie‘s ACL injury may motivate the Nets to push harder to acquire Harden. Of course, as we discussed earlier this week, Dinwiddie’s injury also diminishes the value of a player who likely would be part of any package the Nets offer.
Within that same Athletic article, Amick examines where things stand for the other teams linked to Harden, writing that the Sixers remain content to continue evaluating their current roster under Doc Rivers before making any major changes, while the Bucks don’t view Harden as a fit for their culture. Amick also evaluates the Heat, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, and Raptors, but doesn’t suggest that there’s traction on any front.

Celtics Picking Up 2021/22 Options On Three Players

December 29th, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are exercising their 2021/22 team options on the rookie scale contracts of Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams, according to former C’s assistant GM Ryan McDonough (Twitter link).

Langford, 21, was the 14th overall pick in the 2019 draft, but has been limited to 32 games so far due to health issues and has struggled in his limited playing time, with 2.5 PPG on .350/.185/.720 shooting in 11.6 minutes per contest. He’s currently sidelined as he recovers from wrist surgery.

Grant Williams, who was selected eight spots after Langford in the 2019 draft, has been a more regular part of Boston’s rotation since entering the league last year, averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 72 games (15.3 MPG).

Langford’s and Williams’ third-year options will pay them $3.8MM and $2.6MM, respectively, in 2021/22. The Celtics will have to decide next year whether to pick up their fourth-year options for ’22/23.

As for Robert Williams, his fourth-year option for ’21/22 will guarantee him approximately $3.7MM and will put him on track for restricted free agency in ’22 if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension next summer.

The 23-year-old has appeared in just 63 games for the Celtics in two-plus seasons so far, but has shown some promise. He had one of the best performances of his career on Sunday vs. Indiana, putting up 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in 22 minutes.

Do Celtics Need To Address Bench Depth?

December 28th, 2020 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ bench – an Achilles heel for the team in 2019/20 – remains thin this season, especially with Kemba Walker unavailable, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn wonders whether the team would consider opening up a roster spot to create room for a veteran who can score, and suggests that Isaiah Thomas is one free agent who might be a fit.

Outstanding 2021/22 Rookie Scale Option Decisions

December 28th, 2020 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for teams to exercise the third- and fourth-year team options for 2021/22 on players’ rookie scale contracts is Tuesday, December 29, meaning that clubs who have yet to finalize those decisions will have to do so today or tomorrow.

Most clubs with options to pick up have already done so, and in many cases those decisions were no-brainers. Luka Doncic (Mavericks), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), Trae Young (Hawks), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) are among the players whose 2021/22 options have been exercised, and as long as they remain on their rookie contracts, they’ll be among the best bargains in the NBA.

With the help of our tracker, here are the option decisions that have not yet been announced or reported, with Tuesday’s deadline looming:

Boston Celtics

Romeo Langford (third year, $3,804,360)
Robert Williams (fourth year, $3,661,976)
Grant Williams (third year, $2,617,800)

Golden State Warriors

Jordan Poole (third year, $2,161,440)

Los Angeles Clippers

Mfiondu Kabengele (third year, $2,174,880)

Minnesota Timberwolves

Jarrett Culver (third year, $6,395,160)
Josh Okogie (fourth year, $4,087,904)

New York Knicks

Omari Spellman (fourth year, $3,588,845)

Philadelphia 76ers

Matisse Thybulle (third year, $2,840,160)

Washington Wizards

Jerome Robinson (fourth year, $5,340,916)
Troy Brown (fourth year, $5,170,564)
Rui Hachimura (third year, $4,916,160)
Moritz Wagner (fourth year, $3,893,618)

The fact that these option decisions haven’t been formally finalized yet doesn’t mean they won’t be easy calls. For instance, there’s no chance that the Sixers are going to decline their third-year option on Thybulle — they just haven’t made it official yet.

However, not all of these options are locked to be picked up. The Knicks, for instance, previously exercised their options on RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox but didn’t do so for Spellman. Teams almost always announce all their option pick-ups at once, so the fact that Spellman wasn’t included in that press release is a strong sign that New York will make him an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

Meanwhile, Poole’s option is the least expensive on this list and is barely worth more than the minimum, but even at that price, the Warriors have a tough decision to make. Poole has been relatively ineffective so far (.334/.277/.805 shooting in 60 games) and Golden State’s roster is expensive. The team has to determine whether it makes sense to continue investing in Poole’s development next season, or whether a minimum-salary veteran should get his spot on the ’21/22 roster.

I think most of the other options listed here – with the possible exception of Wagner’s – are more likely to be exercised than declined, but it’s possible there will be a surprise or two. It’s worth noting that turning down an option doesn’t mean the team can’t re-sign the player in 2021 free agency — it just means they can’t offer a starting salary higher than the value of the declined option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Former Celtics Player, Coach K.C. Jones Passes Away

December 25th, 2020 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Celtics player and coach K.C. Jones has died, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The Hall-of-Famer was 88 years old.

A 6’1″ guard who was drafted in 1956, Jones spent his entire nine-year career as a player in Boston, winning eight NBA titles as a key member of the Celtics dynasty led by Bill Russell. He ranks behind only Russell (11) and teammate Sam Jones (10) for the most championships won by a player.

Prior to entering the NBA, Jones was also teammates with Russell at the University of San Francisco, where they won a pair of NCAA championships. Additionally, he won a gold medal for Team USA in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

Following his retirement in 1967, Jones transitioned into coaching. He won a title as a Lakers assistant in 1972 and another as a Celtics assistant in 1981 before becoming Boston’s head coach and winning two more championships in 1984 and 1986.

Jones had a career regular season record of 552-252 (.674) as an NBA head coach for the Celtics, Bullets, and SuperSonics, with a 81-57 (.587) mark in the postseason. His teams appeared in five NBA Finals.

Jones is the second Celtics legend to pass away within the last two months, following Tommy Heinsohn on November 10.

Our condolences go out to Jones’ friends and family.